Members of the Selection Committee for the Allocation of Georg Forster Research Awards and Fellowships

As of May 2019

Information on the composition of the committee

The central instrument for conferring Georg Forster Research Fellowships and Georg Forster Research Awards is an interdisciplinary selection committee.

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The members are assigned certain applications, on which they report to the committee. All decisions are discussed and taken jointly by the interdisciplinary committee; the Foundation’s Board of Trustees must approve the committee’s choices for research fellowships and awards.

non-specialist members: voting representatives of public and private funders; non-voting representatives of other science (funding) organisations.

This composition ensures the necessary scientific expertise to review the applications, complemented by institutional expertise on strategic-structural aspects.

The total number and the representation of disciplines by experts on the committees is based on the average number and subject representation of the applications received. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s choice of expert committee members forms the basis for recognising and selecting excellence in its sponsorship programmes. The selection of specialist selection committee members is, therefore, a core process at the Foundation that seeks to identify the finest scientific minds. The Selection Department takes great care to regularly include domestic and international researchers on its committees who are new to the Foundation’s broader network in order to remain open to new perspectives and angles.

For each new appointment or replacement, the Foundation consults numerous experts as well as representatives of science organisations to draw up a shortlist. Scientific excellence is a basic prerequisite for a candidate to be considered. Other core prerequisites are:

international contacts and experience, as possible extended academic professional activity abroad

experience in scientific cooperation with developing and transition countries

preferably broad scientific expertise

willingness and ability to engage in interdisciplinary discourse

willingness to actively support the work of the Humboldt Foundation

sufficient availability.

The following additional aspects are also considered when appointing committee members:

gender and age balance

balanced regional representation

complementing existing expertise on the committee

• including researchers who work abroad whilst ensuring the necessary familiarity with the German science system.

The decision to appoint a new member and, if necessary, the order in which candidates are shortlisted, is taken by the President of the Foundation in his capacity as President of the Board of Trustees; the Board of Trustees approves the appointment for an initial term of three years, which can be renewed twice.